In Brief: August 12

Every Captain Needs Deputies

Earlier this week, Scholastic’s Blue Sky Press imprint released Dav Pilkey’s The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Caveman from the Future, the second graphic novel “written” by the stars of his popular Captain Underpants series (following The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby). Since Pilkey is best known for Captain Underpants, it was in that spirit that staffers at the Scholastic Store in New York City (seen here) chose to celebrate the new book. Click here to read our Q&A with Pilkey about Ook and Gluk.

Last week, the Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul, Minn., held its annual character tea party, and this year Ian Falconer’s inimitable Olivia was in the spotlight (a place she’s very comfortable). The event was held at the University Club, about a mile from the bookstore; more than 100 Olivia fans turned out for tea, teatime snacks, craft projects, a kazoo parade, games, as well as fashion tips from Olivia herself. Falconer’s heroine returns to bookstore shelves in September in Olivia Goes to Venice (S&S/Atheneum).

Random House got a jump on launching Jillian Larkin’s new series set during the 1920s, The Flappers, with a recent event at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Attendees were given a private tour of the Met Costume Institute’s exhibit, “American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity,” which displays examples of American women’s clothing from 1890 to 1940, followed by cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Here, Larkin shows off the cover of the first book, Vixen, which Delacorte will publish in December.

Artist Romero Britto was in Chicago last weekend for Kidzapalooza, the kid-friendly section of the Lollapalooza music festival. Britto hosted a “painting party” over the three days of the show, and promoted his latest book, My Alphabet Playbook (Little Simon, June), an ABC board book with press-out letters. One attendee, seen here with Britto, won a signed copy of the book. Britto also made an appearance at Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville while in town.

For its fifth season, the 2010 Emmy Award-winning animated TV series Curious George, based on the books by Margret and H.A. Rey, explores other cultures. In the season premiere, which will air September 6 on PBS Kids, George makes a new friend, eight-year-old Marco (pictured here), who plays in his family’s pan-Latin band. Throughout the season, Marco introduces George to Hispanic food, music, and other elements of Latino culture. Curious George is a production of Imagine Entertainment, WGBH Boston, and Universal Studios Family Production. Photo: CG:® & ©2010 Universal Studios and/or HMH.